Improving the overall quality of patient care has become a fundamental priority for healthcare providers. In order to provide utmost care, providers rely heavily on accurate communication between a patient and staff members, as well as directives between staff members. A breakdown of this communication may not only lead to irritable patients, but potentially fatal consequences.
Generally, various staff members attend to a patient's needs, including doctors, nurses and other hospital employees. The interchanging responsibility between each staff member requires clear verbal and visual communications to minimize confusion and miscommunication. Proper communication not only benefits the patient, but also the attending staff members and other neighboring patients, since it may be important to communicate any potential communicable illnesses that patient may have.
There has always been a problem in communicating patient care in a concise consistent manner. Although instructions and patient information may be shared on charts, computers and handwritten panels, the attending staff member may not have the time or understanding of the scribed remarks. In fact, the attending staff may have to rely on many different references, in various locations, in order to treat a patient. Communicating important information, in this manner, may not necessarily be efficient.
The healthcare industry, like many other industries, has adopted a simplistic system of universal indicia representing important directives. This system allows staff members to inform healthcare professionals of patient needs and concerns in a clear efficient manner.
Because it is normal for a nurse to transfer patient information to another incoming nurse during a shift change, nurse-messaging signs have become popular because they provide informative directives using predetermined symbols. Such systems provide an incoming nurse or attending doctor enough information needed to provide particular patient care without having to review numerous records. It may be important not to disrupt the patient's privacy, and so the messaging sign may provide the attending staff with advance warning. Fundamentally, these signs have become popular because they provide patient care instructions, such as medical warnings, in a consistent, effective manner.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2001/0045037 discloses a patient care and medical alert system, which includes a message board for displaying information. The message board comprises a frame and cover, wherein the cover includes a permanent and temporary message area, and is free to rotate away from the frame. The permanent message area includes indicia relating to the permanent identifying information, including, but not limited to, a room number, wing and telephone extensions. The temporary message area is left available so that a user can use temporary message cards to detail temporary messages about a patient. The user can rotate the cover to an open position, in order to access a recessed portion of the frame. This recessed portion is configured and dimensioned in order to store a number of temporary message cards. The temporary message cards contain distinct indicia relevant to the care of the patient identified on the message board and can be affixed to the cover. The temporary message cards can be attached using a variety of fastening means, including, but not limited to, magnets, hook and loop, and adhesives. This type of signage system allows a nurse to provide a litany of information about the patient, but is dependent on message cards, which can be misplaced or removed very easily.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0029064 discloses a placard apparatus for display in a room for visually informing responding emergency personnel the occupant safety status. The placard apparatus comprises a front, middle and rear planar members, as well as slideable signage members. When assembled, the front, middle and rear planar members will house the slideable signage members in a formed article receiving opening area. The front planar member includes two apertures, one that is on the right edge and the other on the left edge. Additionally, the front planar member includes a central portion having indicia. The middle planar member acts as a spacer between the front and rear planar members, and has as large opening in the center. This acts as the article receiving opening area when the apparatus is assembled. The signage member, which includes indicia on the right and left sides, fits between the large opening. The user can move the signage member left or right to expose the appropriate indicia through the corresponding aperture. The signage member is designed to fit snug between the top and bottom edges of the middle planar member. However, the signage member is only wide enough to be viewed through one aperture when fully pushed up against the left or right side of the middle planar member. The middle planar member and signage member include features that comprise a latching system. This latching system locks the signage member into place when the user fully exposes information from the signage member through the right aperture, and a signage member notch becomes engaged with the latching system. A rear planar member, which has a narrow slotted opening, completes the placard system. This slotted opening provides the user access to the signage member in order to move and lock the signage member into place. This type of signage system is very limited in application, especially considering that the suggested latching system is not reversible.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,604,133 discloses an advertising card display comprising a plurality of cards enclosed within a hollow rectangular sleeve. The cards may contain text or symbols, in order to communicate information to a viewer. Each card has a pull tab means enabling the cards to be grasped and pulled from the left or right side of the sleeve. Projections on the leading end of the cards provide foot rest means for the cards, while the card is in retracted position. Projections on the trailing end serve as a means to prevent the cards from being withdrawn completely from the sleeve. Since the cards are stacked on each other in the sleeve, the rectangularly configured strips provide a stopping engagement with adjacent cards. The strips are secured on both sides of the leading end of the card. This acts a second stopping means. When one card is pulled out of the sleeve, the strip on other adjacent card acts to stop the pulled card from being completely removed from the sleeve. When the adjacent card is then pulled out in the opposite direction, the locking engagement automatically pulls the exposed card back into the sleeve. Several embodiments are further disclosed, but are all similar in operation. A problem exists with these designs in that the cards can be repositioned without a user unlocking the card first. The card being displayed can be accidentally removed from view, having serious repercussions.